Evolve New York Conference to Weigh Proposals for Rebuilding Lower Manhattan

In the aftermath of September 11, experts from a range of fields, including architecture, urban planning and the social sciences, have focused their efforts on rebuilding lower Manhattan. On May 9 and 10, many of these experts will present their proposals on the Columbia campus during a conference co-sponsored by the Center for Organizational Innovation and the Urban Planning Program.

The Evolve New York Conference will include the following presentations: proposals for a World Trade Center memorial, architectural designs for lower Manhattan and the role of community and non-profit groups in determining the make-up of the area.

These presentations will be made by faculty and students from universities in New York and elsewhere, and will include a discussion on the resources and constraints that have informed their proposals. They will be joined by sociologists, political scientists and legal theorists who have been working on problems of public policy, democratic participation, economic districts and regional and community development. Conference participants will also include government officials and community representatives who will respond to the proposals and discuss the guiding principles of the planning and decision-making process.

"This conference offers the rare opportunity for wider collaboration and exchange among the academic design and urban policy community," said Columbia sociologist David Stark, director of the center.

"Social scientists in New York and elsewhere have been studying the complex issues of response, recovery and redevelopment," added Elliott Sclar, a Columbia professor who directs the urban planning program. "Their shared focus with the design community now offers a rare opportunity for dialogue across areas of specialization that, regrettably, are too often distant."

The conference, which will be held in 555 Lerner Hall, is open to the public. Those wishing to attend must register. Click to view a complete conference schedule.